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48%
Donald Trump’s lead over the GOP presidential field among likely Republican voters in Florida, followed Ted Cruz at 16%, Marco Rubio at 11% and Jeb Bush at 10%, according to a new Florida Atlantic University poll. Said pollster Kevin Wagner: “At this point, Donald Trump is simply crushing the opposition in the Florida Republican primary. Not only has he increased his lead, Mr. Trump’s favorability ratings among Republicans are now ahead of his competitors by a substantial margin.”
For Republicans, the only good outcome of Trump vs. Cruz is for both to lose. The future of the party as the carrier of a humane, inclusive conservatism now depends on some viable choice beyond them.
— Michael Gerson, who worked with Ted Cruz on George W. Bush’s first presidential campaign, writes in the Washington Post that “he is actually more of a demagogue than an ideologue.”
I remain convinced that between now and the March 1 Super Tuesday/SEC primaries, and particularly the March 15 set of primaries and some contests after, those angry and profoundly anti-establishment voters will have finished venting their spleens. They will have sent their angry messages to the political establishment and will turn to the serious business of selecting a president, taking into account such things as temperament and judgment, marking the beginning of the end of their affair with Trump. They will coalesce behind a more plausible vehicle for their anger and anti-establishment views. That candidate is likely to be Cruz.
35%
Donald Trump’s lead over the GOP presidential field, followed by Ted Cruz at 18% and Marco Rubio at 15%, according to the NBC News/SurveyMonkey Tracking Poll. Key takeaway: “Perhaps surprisingly, Trump also has the highest support among white evangelical voters — 33%. Although Ben Carson did fairly well among white evangelicals (12%), the group heavily favored Trump. Cruz also did well with white evangelicals, with 2 in 10 supporting him.”
$20 million
Amount Sen. Ted Cruz raised for his presidential campaign in the fourth quarter — a 66% increase over the previous three-month period, the Wall Street Journal reports. “The $20 million haul in the final three months of 2015 is up sharply from the $12.2 million raised in the third quarter, a bonanza that came as polls showed Mr. Cruz rising to a top-tier candidate from a back-of-the-pack contender in the crowded GOP candidate field. … By the end of the third quarter, Mr. Cruz already had more cash on hand than any other GOP candidate.”
35%
Donald Trump is holding on to his commanding lead in the Republican race for the White House after his call for a ban on Muslims entering the United States was condemned worldwide, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Trump leads with 35%, followed by Ben Carson at 12%, Ted Cruz at 10% and Jeb Bush at 10%.
Cruz is like Trump, but at a toned-down level.
— Iowa state Sen. Jake Chapman (R), quoted by Bloomberg, explaining his support of Sen. Ted Cruz for president.
I might oversleep that day.
— Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS), quoted by Politico, when asked if he would vote for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) if he were the GOP nominee.
24%
A new Monmouth University poll in Iowa finds Ted Cruz surging into the lead, followed by Donald Trump at 19%, Marco Rubio at 17%, Ben Carson at 13%, and Jeb Bush at 6%. Said pollster Patrick Murray: “This marks the first time Ted Cruz has held a lead in any of the crucial early states. As Ben Carson’s stock has fallen, Cruz has been able to corral most of those voters. Rep. Steve King’s endorsement may not be the primary reason for this swing, but it certainly put a stamp on the Cruz surge in Iowa.”
The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats.
— Sen. Ted Cruz, in an interview with Hugh Hewitt.
